HC Deb 15 December 1992 vol 216 cc161-2W
Mrs. Jane Kennedy

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people aged 16 and 17 years in the Liverpool travel-to-work area are not in employment, not on a youth training scheme and not in full-time education.

Mr. McLoughlin

In October 1992 there were 297 unemployed claimants aged 16 and 17 years in the Liverpool travel-to-work area.

Changes to the benefit regulations in September 1988 coincided with the extention of a guaranteed YTS (now YT) place to all those aged under 18 not in full-time education or employment, which meant that those who declined an offer of a YTS place were no longer entitled to benefit. However, there are still a small number of under 18–year-olds entitled to benefit due to special circumstances, such as severe hardship or by virtue of their being orphans.

Mr. Milburn

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was(a) her Department's budget expressed in 1987–88 prices, (b) the average number of unemployed people and (c) a figure for(a) divided by (b) for each year since 1987–88.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

The figures requested are as follows:

year (a) Department's budget (£ million) (b) Average number of unemployed people (Great Britain) (a)/(b) (£s)
1987–88 3,903 2,674,858 1,459
1988–89 3,592 2,142,008 1,677
1989–90 3,307 1,702,250 1,943
1990–91 3,041 1,757,266 1,730
1991–92 2,756 2,448,791 1,125

(i) Figures for years to 1989–90 include a public corporation the National Dock Labour Board.

(ii) The 1991–92 figures exclude the amounts transferred to the Scottish Office (mainly for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise) which is responsible for delivering the main training and enterprise programmes in Scotland.